Melisa Wallack, who wrote the script that became Relativity’s high-profile Snow White project, has been drafted by Universal to pen Emily the Strange.

Chloe Moretz is attached to star as the punky goth cult figure created by skateboarder Rob Reger. Dark Horse's Mike Richardson is producing.

Dark Horse Entertainment has been developing the character as a movie project since 2008, setting it up at Universal in 2010.

The story line is being kept under wraps, although the aim is to tell the origin of the punk and gothic figure and how she comes to gain her abilities that fuse technology and imagination. The story will also focus on her relationship with four cats: troublemaker Sabbath, schemer Nee-Chee, imaginative Miles and leader Mystery.

Reger is executive producing alongside Dark Horse's Keith Goldberg.

There is a certain amount of irony in Wallack’s hiring since Universal has been engaged in a cat-and-mouse game of one-upmanship with Relativity over competing Snow White movies. Universal is about to start shooting Snow White and the Huntsman while Relativity is in production on its untitled movie starring Lilly Collins and Julia Roberts. Wallack wrote the spec script that has become Relativity’s tentpole to be released March 16, 2012.

Wallack, repped by ICM attorney Howard Abramson, wrote and co-directed Meet Bill, a 2007 indie starring Aaron Eckhart and Jessica Alba, as well as Science Fair, which is set up at End Game Entertainment. Both scripts were on the Black List.